FOR THE WIFE AND CHILDREN

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16549, 13 May 1914, Page 12

FOR THE WIFE AND CHILDREN

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—l know that your paper is widely read in tho out-lying country districts, and I know also that in those far away remote spots live many kindly thoughtful souls, who l>y reason of their isolation are at times out of touch with' the needs and necessities of their fellow-creatures in the more crowded parts of our land. Some of these people are richlv endowed with human sympathy and broad generous ideas. It is just to those readers that I make a little call. I dou’t want anyone who disapproves of my action to give me one single penny; I don’t want to worry them or to plunge them and myself into a newspaper wrangle on tho rights and wrongs of my cause; I just want to reach those folk only who, when they have read this letter, will cheerily .exclaim, “RightO! I’ll help!” I want some money to help the wife and five children of Harry Holland while ho is in prison. Now, my cat is out of the bag and I really don’t think it is a very ugly cat. Is it? Don’t let me deceive you. The family is being looked after. “ Tho workers are seeing to that,” said a Labour leader to me this morning. Quito so; but the burden is falling chiefly on the manual workers, who have a pretty hard strugglo to keep the cause of Labour going, and 1 want to help them. Hence my appeal. We will not discuss tho question of the rights and wrongs of “ seditious speech,” but let us think only of the facts. A man speaks and labours for his fellow-workers. For this he and his family suffer. The thing appeals to the British in us. The man belongs to the great army of “ Free Speech ” soldiers; he .sacrifices everything for the cause. Shall we help him? Don’t give grudgingly; don’t give disapprovingly; but give joyously and proudly, you who love the workers and their cause. —I am, etc., E. W. CUNNINGTON. P.S.—A man who knows Holland well tells me, “ Ho is this sort of fellow : if we said to him, ‘ Holland, for tho sake of our cause you must bo crucified,’ be would go to the cross without a moment’s hesitation.” How does that appeal to you idealists among tho mountains and the fields? That’s the type we want to keep alive, so let’s help his children. 33, Pnpanui Road, May 12. '